What every club needs to know about digital transformation.
By Srishti Singh
Digital transformation continues to be a trending topic. Organizations of all types are coming to the realization that embracing technology for their operations is no longer optional. It is becoming mission-critical.
Clubs are no exception.
What is digital transformation?
Digital transformation is the process of adopting technologies to evolve the efficiency and effectiveness of your operation.
But it's not just about adding technology. It is about looking at your operation and identifying how technology can streamline what you do, expand your capabilities, improve your offering, and elevate your member experience.
Example: Club management software transforms dining
Clubs have transformed the F&B offering for both the members and the operation by deploying premier technology in both the kitchen and dining room. In the kitchen, a smart Kitchen Display System (KDS) helps organize the flow, coordinates stations, monitors orders, and more. At the same time, the system connects with the servers' tableside POS mini-tablets, allowing the immediate input of orders as well as communication of updates from the kitchen and delivery of order changes from the server - all in real-time.
All of this results in improved order accuracy, reduced food waste, timely delivery of orders, and more. Moreover, it reduces the servers' need to run back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen, giving servers more time to spend serving and further enhancing the member experience.
Why we can't ignore digital transformation
Business and market requirements drive the need for digital transformation.
From a business standpoint, there is constant pressure to deliver a modern and competitive offering while keeping costs in check. Technology becomes a key factor in fulfilling these needs.
From a market perspective, there are additional pressures. Whether you like it or not, your members and prospects are experiencing the technological advancements that other businesses deploy. And they begin to question why they can't have the same functionality, convenience, and experience from you and every other organization they engage with.
In other words, digital transformation is quickly becoming the price to play for successful organizations.
The key elements and characteristics of a digital transformation
There are three components to any digital transformation.
- Technology - it is important to identify the technology that can help you work toward your strategic goals. This includes understanding how it will integrate with existing systems, and identifying the ongoing maintenance requirements.
- Data - the output of all this technology is data. Prioritizing data from the start is key. That means identifying how you will collect it and use it to help inform your decisions and drive continuous improvement.
- Process - technology can help you evolve the processes you use to run the operation. This includes optimizing your existing processes as well as developing new processes that improve club operations.
As you consider solutions, you can use the three components to organize your evaluation. Additionally, you can assess your options using these key characteristics of high-value solutions:
- Flexibility - your technology should be able to handle many different configurations, adapting to the unique combination of demands at your club - today and tomorrow.
- Data Centrality - the solution should operate on one database, eliminating siloed operations in your club and helping you have better visibility across all areas.
- Intelligence - the technology should allow you to easily turn all the data into insights you can use to improve processes throughout the club.
- Unity - the platform should help you deliver a consistent member experience across all areas of your club.
The 7 steps
As you consider a digital transformation initiative at your club, expect the process to include these 7 steps.
- Align with your stakeholders - successful initiatives first seek buy-in throughout the club - with both your staff and your members. Help them understand why digital transformation is crucial and how it will improve life for them.
- Identify needs - identify the needs of your club and rank them as primary, secondary, and tertiary. This will allow you to determine the order in which you will implement solutions.
- Map technology solutions - using the needs you have identified, determine the technology offerings that best suit those needs. Use the key elements and characteristics discussed previously to evaluate your options.
- Identify expert partners - there is a lot to consider when undergoing this evolution. It is not unusual to feel like you need additional resources to augment the expertise you have on staff. Having a proven technology partner can help accelerate the success of the effort.
- Create your plan - with your needs, solutions, and expertise identified, prioritize the implementation, and lay out the plan and timeline for executing.
- Execute - begin the process of implementing the technology throughout your organization.
- Gather feedback and refine - gather input from both your staff and members as you go. Use this feedback to fine-tune the technology you've implemented in your operation.
The speed of technological innovation continues to accelerate. With it comes new opportunities to employ advanced solutions to help improve operations and enhance the member experience. If you'd like to explore the opportunities at your club, contact Northstar.
With the Northstar complete club management software solution, you'll discover how you can integrate systems across your operation, eliminate technology silos, and deliver the invaluable data and insights that can only be gleaned from a solution united by one database. To take the next step in your journey, request a demo of the Northstar Technologies solution, today.